Shower sex too dirty for Albertans; good, clean fun for Quebecers

The poll, conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating, found just 41 per cent of Albertans admit to having sex in the shower.

Photograph by: Dmytro Panchenko
, Fotolia.com

CALGARY — Sex in the shower? In Quebec, it's 'pass the soap.' In Alberta, it's just 'pass.'

Albertans are the least likely of all Canadians to get intimate with a partner in the shower, a new survey finds.

The poll, conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating, found just 41 per cent of Albertans admit to having sex in the shower.

"I think it's maybe sort of that Alberta small-c conservative modesty coming through, which is interesting because Alberta is such a young province," said Ipsos Reid pollster Sean Simpson. "There's a lot of young people there, and young people are more likely to say that they've done this."

Across the country, about 53 per cent of Canadians say they engage in the odd tryst in the tub.

Six per cent of Canadians said they do it often.

Meanwhile, Quebecers, at 58 per cent, are the most likely to report occasionally engaging in a suds-soaked seduction — "perhaps not surprising" as the French are often considered more "amorous" than others, said Simpson.

"In a roundabout way, I guess (Albertans) are a little bit more prudish than Quebecers, that's for sure," said Simpson, laughing.

Not far behind are Ontarians, at 55 per cent, and British Columbians, at 54 per cent, who both admit to fooling around in the foam from time to time.

Albertans are joined by their Prairie neighbours in their less-than-steamy shower behaviour.

Saskatchewanians and Manitobans, at 46 per cent each, are second and third least likely to take part in a sensual shower. Atlantic Canadians also tied them both at 46 per cent.

Younger Canadians between the ages of 18 and 34 were also more likely, at 69 per cent, to get sexy in the shower. Middle-aged Canadians, between 35 and 54, and those aged 55 and older were the least likely to participate in such an activity, at 54 per cent and 39 per cent.

Men, at 62 per cent, were more likely than women, at 44 per cent, to admit they had participated in some lathered-up lovemaking.

"It sounds like many men might be repeat offenders," Simpson said.

There doesn't appear to be a correlation between water rates and shower sex activity, said Simpson.

"I'm not sure that water consumption is top of mind when being intimate in the shower," he said, chuckling. "You're really thinking about other things at that point in time."

The survey was conducted in conjunction with World Plumbing Day, an international event taking place Sunday, to highlight the importance of water conservation.

Shower sex may not always be the first activity that comes to mind when people think about water consumption, said Simpson.

"Part of the idea behind this poll is to raise a little bit of awareness about the fact that when you're in the shower for 20 minutes longer than you thought you were going to be, you've used a whole lot of extra water," said Simpson. "I think it just suggests that people need to think about it a little bit more."

Survey respondents were quizzed on other ways they use and potentially waste water, he added.

Thirty-six per cent of respondents said they typically leave the water running while brushing their teeth, while 25 per cent say they've done so while washing the dishes as well.

Twenty-six per cent of men, and 15 per cent of women, admitted to leaving the water running while shaving.

Ralph Suppa, president of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating, said he was surprised to find many Canadians aren't embracing simple water conservation tactics.

"We have a luxury in this country with water and there are many parts of the world that don't have that luxury," said Suppa.

Some ways Canadians can adopt green water-use techniques include installing low-flow shower heads and faucets, and swapping out older toilets for high-efficiency units, which can save nearly 20,000 litres of water per toilet annually, said Suppa.

The online poll of 1,014 Canadians was conducted between March 2 and 5, 2012. The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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